Durham County Golf Union

About DCGU

Est. 1892

Governing amateur golf
across County Durham

The Durham County Golf Union (DCGU) serves as the governing body for amateur men's golf in County Durham and is affiliated with England Golf, the National Governing Body.

In partnership with the Durham County Ladies Golf Association, we support our affiliated clubs, golfers, and emerging talent across all aspects of golf in Durham.

County Officials Affiliated Clubs
County Durham golf

Our Role

What we do for you

DCGU supports its 42 affiliated clubs, players, and the wider golfing community across County Durham through the following services.

Handicaps
DCGU serves as the designated area authority for administering the World Handicap System (WHS). Acting on behalf of England Golf, DCGU assists players and clubs in implementing the WHS and ensures adherence to the R&A Rules of Handicapping. DCGU is also responsible for adjudicating handicap appeals within the area.
Course Rating
The Course and Slope rating for each set of tees is a fundamental part of the WHS handicap system, allowing golfers to compete on different courses using a fair and equitable system. We have a team of trained course assessors who undertake this work on behalf of England Golf at no cost to the clubs.
Increasing Participation
As part of the County Golf Development Group, we work to bring new players into the sport and new members into clubs. We work closely with England Golf, the Golf Foundation and local authorities, supporting clubs with development ideas and Sport England funding applications.
Rules, Governance & Disciplinary
The Union is your first port of call for answering Rules queries and advising how to answer them. We ensure courses are set up correctly for competitions and assist clubs to implement R&A rule changes. We support clubs with Governance, Safeguarding and Disciplinary issues, handling all matters professionally and in confidence.
County Competitions
We organise and administer county competitions across Men's, Seniors, Juniors and the Past Captains Society. All competitions are managed through Golf Genius, providing seamless online entry for members across all 42 affiliated clubs.
County Card Scheme
The Durham County Card is a benefit of affiliation, accepted at over 1,200 clubs throughout England. All current playing members of affiliated clubs are eligible. Cards are available free of charge from your Club Secretary.
Junior golfers in County Durham

Player Development

Talent development
at every level

Durham County Golf Union represents amateur golf across County Durham, supporting and developing players at multiple levels of the game. The Union fields competitive teams at Under-18, Men's, and Senior Men's (Over-55) levels.

Our extensive Junior Coaching programme continues to produce quality young players. Notable alumni include Graeme Storm — the first county player to win the British Amateur Championship and member of the successful GB&I Walker Cup team in 1999 — and Callum Tarren, who has gone on to compete at the highest professional level.

County teams compete in the Northern League and the EG Northern Counties Championship across all age groups.

View Team Fixtures

National Governing Body

Affiliated with England Golf

Durham County Golf Union is a proud affiliated member of England Golf — the National Governing Body for amateur golf in England. As a county union, DCGU provides the link between England Golf and our 42 affiliated clubs across County Durham.

County Card Scheme Our History Since 1892